Lightning
Yes, Dawn of the Clans is good. Although there is some heavy abusive mentions during Thunder Rising and The First Battle. The Blazing Star is also full of it, but it's still a good arc to read. The villains for this arc are actually downright evil, instead of misguided cats or some stuff like that. I mean, I suppose my opinion isn't the same as everyone else's- a lot of people don't like anything after Power of Three, but yet a lot of the books that come in that arc or afterwards are some of my favorites.
As for super editions? You're best just reading them if you're looking for something to do. Firestar's Quest and SkyClan's Destiny are both really good if you're looking for something that isn't focused on ThunderClan. It's much more about seeing that a certain way of life isn't for everyone, and sometimes tweaks are required in order to do what's best for the group. Yellowfang's Secret is terrible in all ways, so I highly advise avoiding it unless you want to ruin Yellowfang's character for yourself. Tallstar's Revenge has gay kitties, so go read that you will like it. The others are good, but these just stand out to me in one way or another.
The Ultimate Guide is pretty good, actually. I love the artwork in it and I think it contains some of Wayne's best work. It gives us both Tigerstar and Bramblestar's leader ceremonies, and more backstories for some of the Dawn of the Clans characters. It's a bit spoiler-y if you haven't read Thunder Rising, though.
Honestly, you're just better off reading and making a judgement call for yourself- that's just how this series is. Some people prefer different elements over others, hence why I have basically nothing but praise for the later arcs; it's just what I'm interested in.